mrat مراة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“mrat” (مراة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning woman.
Meanings
- woman
- wife (someone's wife)
Usage
This is a spelling of mra (woman). The final ta marbouta reflects the form mrat, which is used before a complement or a possessive. In that case the meaning is mostly "wife": mrat jarna (our neighbour's wife) or mratu (his wife). On its own, the word is simply pronounced mra. The plural is 3yalat or nsa. In online writing, مرا, مراة and مرات are all found. The difference is only in spelling, except before a complement, where the final t is actually pronounced.
Example
مراة خويا خدامة ف السبيطار
mrat khoya khddama f sbitar
“My brother's wife works at the hospital.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mrat” but also “mra”, “mraa” and “mrate”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “mrat” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
The same word also exists in Algerian Darja, written مرا, where it means “woman (female person)”; “wife”: mra in Algerian.